ADDYSON GUSTAFSON / Freshman Sing/Songwriter Lorde has recently made her return to music with her third album titled “Solar Power”, on August 20, 2021. This is the first album she has released in the past four years, since her second album melodrama in 2017.
After the release of her second album Lorde unplugged from the internet in 2018. The reasoning behind her disconnecting from the internet was due to “massive amounts of stress.” While she took this break from she took a trip that inspired her to make the album “Solar Power." “Solar Power'' has a total of fourteen tracks and the run time of the album is 43:09. There are three singles on the album. The lead single is “Solar Power”, and the other singles are “Mood Ring”, and “Stoned At The Nail Salon”. Lorde announced that the album was not going to be released on cd due to environmental reasons. She stated she doesn't want to “make something that will end up in a landfill in two years”. In addition to this album coming out, on September 9th, Lorde released an EP of “Solar Power” titled “Te Ao Marama”, meaning “world of life." She re-recorded 5 EP features from “Solar Power” in the language of the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand. Lorde chose to re-record these songs in the Maori language because she is someone “who represents New Zealand globally” and she wants to promote the aspects of the Maori culture that make New Zealand a unique place. Have you heard the album? What do you think of it? CYDNEY WIERZBOWSKI / Junior As we enter the 2021-2022 there is one noticeable change compared to last year, our students are back. During last school year, the halls felt empty. While we were in hybrid mode, classes had as little as three students in the classroom. Then when we switched to fully online classes, they were filled with tiny icons and muted mics. Personally, I am glad to be back in person, but I wanted to know how other students and teachers felt too. When we started off last school year, I felt isolated from my teachers, and friends. Staring at a screen all day often led me to get distracted or bored although the teachers tried their best. Attending school in my own room contributed to those distractions; I had the freedom to go on my phone without the teacher seeing or could be interrupted by my cat trying to walk over my computer. With in person school the change of scenery was refreshing but then my bedroom became my classroom. I no longer had a separate space for homework and the days felt long like the work was endless in a space that no longer was mine. I had not realized how much I had missed school, this being one thing I never thought I would say. When talking to teachers last year, most described remote learning as “difficult” and “sad.” One noticeable thing last year was the struggle with technology, between the wifi/computer issues and lack of technological knowledge. “Although I have a technology background”, Mr. Curcio expressed, “nothing can replace in person learning when it comes to human interaction, immediate feedback, and honest teachable moments.” I can’t imagine how difficult it was at times for teachers as the students also missed human interaction. I remember in my trigonometry class last year Mrs. Croll would ask a question and nobody had turned their mic or spoken up. She said she felt “like nobody was paying attention and was disappointed.” One of my least favorite things about online was breakout rooms. Everyone has had at least one breakout room of awkward silence. When we returned to in person learning I am certain to say it was refreshing for all of us. Remote learning was beneficial for preventing students from getting Covid-19 but not our learning. We are happy to be back, and will do what it takes to stay in person. Who is your favorite singer?BRANDON UNCAPHER / Junior On August 29th, 2021, the night before the first day of school, if you turned on ESPN, you saw Bishop Sycamore play IMG Academy. This turned out to be a blowout, with IMG winning 58-0. However, that was only the beginning. What followed was the uncovering of one of the biggest high school sports scandals in history; a tale of deception, greed, and broken promises.
The story does not begin with Bishop Sycamore, but with Christians of Faith (CoF), led by 2 of the 3 guys who run Bishop Sycamore: Roy Johnson and Jay Richardson (Andre Peterson, the Bishop Sycamore school director, was not a staff member but had his son playing there), and overall 5 of 8 staff members on Bishop Sycamore were on CoF. In 2018, they created what they called an "Elite” private online charter school.. Most players were from 18-21, 5th year Seniors or graduates looking for one last chance, and they were promised exposure to D1 colleges, great education, and playing great football while furthering their journey with God. It turned out to be a disaster of epic proportion. The students were promised a dorm was going to be built and in the interim, they would be staying in a hotel. Instead, it never was built and they were not given money or food, and many had to resort to stealing food and then they got evicted due to unpaid bills. They then had to stay in a coach’s house, and most had to sleep on floors. There were no classes, and they had their academic rights revoked by October. They went from 10 to 2 coaches in the year due to them not being paid. They were in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt due to unpaid bills and loans. They went 1-11 and results were deemed unsanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. By March 2019, the Ohio Department of Education got involved and shut the program down. They also had a “partnership” with a financial group associated with a church. However, they denounced this and CoF was no more. This was, until a few months later. In 2019, Roy Johnson, Andre Peterson, and Jay Richardson rebranded to Bishop Sycamore, at first using the same Jerseys as CoF to deceive that it was basically the same thing. The helmets and possibly pads were still the same ones used by CoF in 2018, but from 2020 to the game on August 29th, many things transpired. First off, students were yet again promised similar things, this time being told they would have their classes at nearby Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio where they said BS was at, which was proven to be a lie and classes weren’t held. Again, there was no charter given to them and all games were unsanctioned, checks bounced and students were evicted. They had a GoFundMe for help in equipment that raised $140 out of their $20,000 goal. In 2020, their practices were set to be held at Ohio State’s facilities, but they were mostly held outside their apartment when there even was practice (which many times, weren’t held, even between games). Against IMG last year, they only practiced the morning of, and they lost 56-6 that game. They didn’t have trainers, and most were forced to play through injury. Their season ended early due to COVID, and they went 0-6 with 2 cancelled games, including one where the opponents found out most players were over age. Their mailing address was a random sports complex, their recruiting address was a library, both of which they were not affiliated with, their website was a blogging page about how to recruit with no contact information and has since been deleted. Even with all of this, they made it on national TV. Bishop Sycamore played against Sto-Rox on Friday, just 2 days before going against IMG, with at least 15 players playing both games, with some playing both sides as well. They claimed to have a 2nd team with little proof. BS only had 1 jersey, and some had to split time wearing the same number. Roy Johnson, their head coach, had an active arrest warrant on fraud charges at the time of the game. Paragon Marketing Group, the company responsible for setting up the matchup, didn’t do a background check on them, and were given a false roster list for the team touted full of D1 prospects that they couldn’t verify. They greenlit it, and when ESPN’s broadcasting team came out to Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, they were given a roster list that didn’t include things like height and weight, and when the starting center went down, the crew did not know who it was. The fallout from this is Roy Johnson has been fired, all teams that had Bishop Sycamore scheduled backed out, and the Ohio government is set to start an investigation. The worst part of this is that if it never became broadcasted on live TV, this scam would still be going strong. There could be many other “schools” just like Bishop Sycamore; this is just the first to be broadcasted to the public. Many kids and parents got scammed in this, and those that were still in high school got a wasted year of no education. At this point, all we can do is hope that justice is served, so that it may never happen again. ABIGAIL DOPERAK / Senior Children are powered by creativity. A cardboard box isn’t just a box, but a rocket ship to take it’s passengers to the moon. A dog isn’t just a dog, but a dragon that is preventing the prince from reaching his princess in the far away tower. Society encourages imagination from children, but at what age does that start to fade? At what age do we start to expect more time for work than play? When does creativity stop?
Today’s culture appears to allow so much room for self expression in society and on the internet, yet teenagers do not feel the same level of creativity and expression as they did when they were younger. These young adults are being faced with stricter rules and expectations nowadays that the pressure is on. Things are being stripped away to demote the process of creativity. The joy of playing in the snow on snow days is now gone with the solidation of online schooling resources for every student. More uniform writing prompts being given in classes rather than letting students pick and choose how to express their thoughts. Most of all, students are struggling to properly express themselves and feel their best due to the demanding constraints of modern day dress codes. According to the Derry Area School District handbook “Derry Area administration reserves the right to question any mode of dress/jewelry/hair style that is beyond current community/school accepted standards or that jeopardizes the health, welfare or safety of the student or other students.” These rules are implemented to keep a modest environment in the classrooms. They will keep from any distractions pertaining to revealing clothing and inappropriate dress. Students need to stay focused on academic work rather than clothing and appearance. Derry Area student Ashley Baker thinks “why not both?” Baker is a junior at Derry and keeps herself very involved in student life. Over the course of the past year, Baker has been working to turn Derry school into a “safe place for all to be able to express themselves.” Students feel the pressure of living up to others expectations and standards rather than letting their creativity take the reins. Female students have expressed their concerns the most while they feel the dress code directly targets them. “I very strongly believe our current dress code not only hinders creativity but creates such stigma around clothing, especially women's clothing,” said Baker. “There needs to be an understanding that at this point in high school girls are old enough and responsible enough to understand when their clothing is appropriate and when it is not. I believe that if someone feels comfortable in what they are wearing no one else has the right to make them feel any different.” Forms of creative expression have greatly changed throughout the years, yet dress codes seem to be remaining the same. Students feel as if they do not have a creative outlet. Administrators feel as if they are keeping a stable environment in the building. The top priority of a learning environment is to educate, not to impress others with the way you dress. Whether there is a right or a wrong, both advocates want their voices to be heard and understood. Even though creative opportunities are being phased out, there are still plenty of ways for students to get in tune with their creative side. Whether it be with art classes, music courses, or creative writing, there are outlets available for those who feel the need to branch out of their normal thinking routine. “I have been working closely with Mr. Long to try to get this changed starting last school year,” said Baker. “I am hoping with the support of the community we will be able to bring changes in our school.” JANE HUSS / Freshman REBECCA HUSS / Sophomore On September 2nd, I broke the home course record as a freshman against River Valley with a time of 21:34. I have been running track since I was around 4 years old in track club, and I joined the middle school track team in 7th grade.
I looked up to my older brothers, Justin Huss and William Huss, a lot. They inspired me to push to improve every day. Because I know how much I looked up to Justin and William in elementary school, I want to be a good role model for my younger brother, Wade Huss. Entering high school, long distance was always my favorite, so I knew joining the cross country team was the right decision for me. Competition motivates me to improve, so I enjoy running with athletes who are more experienced than me during practices and meets. They help me by motivating me to reach my goals and improve myself as an athlete. My objectives for the future of my cross country career is to be a good leader, unite the team, and encourage others like my family and coaches encourage me. I desire to make my family, coaches, team, and myself proud. I intend to attend college for track, cross country, or both. I also want to carry on the good reputation for my family set by my brothers before me. The course against River Valley was a total of 3.1 miles, consisting of long stretches and a minimal amount of hills. I was challenged to start off with running a lap around the track, then going past the practice football field on the trail and making my way up pine tree hill, running on the other side of the practice football field and behind the press box, making a lap around the band field, going past the tennis courts on the trail and behind the soccer fields in the direction of grandview, running up the hill by the One Room SchoolHouse, and down pine tree hill. After completing that, I had to do that same course again and finish off with a lap around the track. When I first stepped on the 100 meter starting point on the track was when I first felt the butterflies. Looking at my fellow competitors, I felt very nervous because I was a freshman and had never competed with them before. Although I had some nerves, I felt confident in myself. Making my way around the course, I kept a steady pace. Hills usually make me anxious during races because they’re tiring, but they weren’t as challenging on this course compared to other ones. I was the most tired coming down pine tree hill by the practice football field; this is where I gave my very best effort and sprinted because I knew that I would feel great once I finished the race. During the meet against River Valley, my time was 21:34. In order to get this time and set the home course record, I trained daily. My distance training consists of long days, running a total of 11 miles, short days, running a total of 6 miles, and running 3.5 - 4 miles on weekends. I also have sprint days once a week that consist of various activities such as hills, 400 meter sprints, 800 meters, and other workouts on the track or a course. I was able to work my way up to running this many miles by participating in summer training and in season training. I also lift, do core workouts, stretch, have a healthy diet, and sleep well. My brothers, coaches, and dad help me plan out each workout. The best advice I can give is that hard work is what will lead you to be successful; whatever pain you feel in the process will pay off because it will all be worth it in the end. Having a disciplined mindset and setting the goals that I have for myself is one of the main things that helped me get the time that I did at River Valley. The race showed me what a course feels like and exactly what it is, given that I had never competed in a cross country race before. Since then, I’ve become more confident in myself and I trust myself to overcome any obstacle thrown at me. However successful someone is, there’s always room for improvement, you just have to find the drive and motivation to improve. I would never be where I am today without other people encouraging me and supporting me with every thing that I do and accomplish. I am very grateful for my family, team, and coaches and excited for the future of the team. |